1957 Chevrolet Fuel Injection

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The biggest automotive news for 1957 was the Ramjet fuel injection that was manufactured by General Motor's Rochester carburetor division. The new fuel injection was developed by E.A. Kehoe, John Dolza, Donald Stoltman and father of the Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov.

It was standard equipment on the '57 Corvette engines, but could also be had on any of the 20 new 1957 Chevrolet's car.

The new fuel injection on the '57 Chevy replaced the carburetor and intake manifold.

The 1957 Chevy Ramjet fuel injection system consisted of the fuel meter, manifold assembly and air meter. Instead of fuel and air being mixed in the carburetor, then forced through the intake manifold to each cylinder, the air supply is taken in separately through a manifold. The fuel is then injected directly and constantly into each intake port where the two are mix.

The advantage of Ramjet included increased power, instant accelerator response, faster cold starts, smoother engine warm-ups, elimination of carburetor icing and better overall fuel economy. One of the keys to the success of this system was the design of the fuel nozzles.

1957 Chevrolet Fuel Injection

1957 Chevrolet Fuel Injection Drawing

The basic operation of the system is as follows: For starting, a solenoid connected to the starter circuit operates to unseat the fuel valve. Air is fed to the air meter and is metered past a throttle valve, controlled by the position of the accelerator, into the manifold passages which feed each cylinder. As the air flows through the air meter, a signal is transmitted to the fuel meter, which determines the proper amount of fuel to be fed to the cylinders. The fuel is pumped to eight nozzles, one each in the manifold passage just above the intake valve. There the fuel and air mix and enter the cylinder when the intake valve opens.